Gender and Social Media: How Men and Women Differ

Is there a difference in how men and women act on social media? Several studies have been conducted to determine how people use social media in a bid to better understand how the online community responds to various stimuli and strategies. It is only expected that there are also observations on how people of either sex use social media platforms on a daily basis. There are stark differences, as well as similarities, on how men and women spend time on their mobile devices and computers to acquire new content on social media. Here are some notable comparisons.

1. Twitter and Facebook use

About 16 percent of adults have an existing account on Twitter, 62 percent of which are women. In fact, 40 million more women log on to the social media platform each month compared to men. As for Facebook, 67 percent of adults have an existing account with 58 percent comprised of females. Female Facebook users also have 8 percent more friends compared to male users and 62 percent tend to share information on the website. Even though women may have more contacts on Facebook, 80 percent say that their online friends are rather annoying than helpful (posting random thoughts, information too personal for public consumption, etc.).

2. Total population

Overall, 62 percent of men and 71 percent of women use a variety of social media sites. Each person generally has 1 to 3 social media platforms and refer to these alternately depending on their activities, job or lifestyle. In the United States alone, there are almost 130 million social media users.

3. Pinterest users

The social media networks have a 70 percent female user base, although only 15 percent of adults use the site. There are more women most like because of the DIY or do-it-yourself guidelines, recipes and other self-help information that can be acquired. Men are generally in it to increase business and meet new contacts and acquire referrals.

4. Google

When it comes to Google, even though only 10 percent of adults have an account, 64 percent of the users are men. About 25 percent use the social media site and 75 percent do not engage with other existing users.

5. YouTube

There are also more men using YouTube. Out of 280 million active users, 54 percent is male. 25 percent of men watch videos on the site every day. Men would spend around 1 hour each day on YouTube compared to the 35 minutes that females spend.

6. LinkedIn

20 percent of adults use LinkedIn with 54 percent of the population being male. 75 percent of users like to research on other brands and businesses. 45 percent prefer the face-to-face interactions while 68% use it to look for old business contacts. About 10 percent choose the paid version of the social media network. These will generally help social media marketers improve in their approaches to cater to both men and women. By studying how either reacts to certain promotions on social media, business can better create strategies that increase their chances of capturing their desired markets.